After sporting and academic success in junior school, David White is plagued by bullying when moving up to the local grammar school. He finally breaks through in both sport and academic studies, developing in character and confidence. Supported by his loving family, and in particular his father, his character is shaped to prepare him for both his career and his life in the future that are both influenced and consumed by autism. David's major influences are his father (Norman), his father-in-law (Nigel) and his wife (Anita). The problems that his son, John, endures shape David's later life. John has severe autism, learning disabilities and epilepsy. After years working in I.T., he realises his destiny is to spend the rest of his working life dedicated to helping young people who have autism and learning disabilities. How he achieves this is a surprise to his family, and even to himself. There are tragedies along the way, but David has the support of his loving wife, Anita, and together they keep their son at home while at the same time helping other families with similar issues. It is also a story about love; the love that David has for his parents, his wife's parents and his son. It is also about the passionate love his feels for the woman he married and who gave him a son, and the impact that autism has on their relationship. This is a fiction, not a text book, but through the experiences of David, and of course John, it may be possible to gain an understanding of some of the aspects of autism.
About the Author: Michael Braccia lives in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. He attended the local grammar school and went on to complete a BSc degree in Computer Science and English. He worked in I.T. for 22 years, 8 of those as a self-employed consultant / trainer. Michael is married, with a son who has severe autism, learning disabilities and epilepsy. After leaving school, he was a commercial trainee for a pharmaceutical wholesaler and then moved into I.T. He became systems manager for a flooring wholesaler and later ran 3 businesses while helping his wife with the care of their son. It left little time for his ambition - to write a novel. In 2015 he decided to retire early, and finally achieved that ambition. 'Could it be That Way', his debut novel, features David White, loosely based on Michael, but mainly fictionalised. However, for the last 25 years, autism has been at the centre of Michael's world. In addition to being a carer at home, he has also run a small care business and has done many hours of voluntary work helping children and young adults with autism. Michael's passions (apart from his wife) are books (mainly novels), football, watching science programmes, and trying to play golf. Many years ago he played off 18, but as an occasional 'fair weather golfer' his handicap is now probably more than double that. As he says, it provides good exercise and plenty of fresh air. His better half claims that it is 'a good walk spoilt'. Now he has retired from business, he has also published a collection of short stories, 'Banfield Tales', and intends to continue writing novels and short stories in the future.